Lecture Series Showcases Strong Connection Between Religious Studies and MSU Libraries’ Special Collections

Religious Studies faculty will discuss how the MSU Libraries' Special Collections informs their teaching and research as part of the Collecting Religion Lecture Series offered this semester. Hosted by MSU Libraries and organized in collaboration with the Department of Religious Studies, the series will highlight how rare and historical primary sources bring Religious Studies to life. The series kicks off…

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New MSU Global Nonprofit Leadership M.A. and Certificate Programs Launch

For the first time at Michigan State University, graduate students and professionals can enroll in the new Nonprofit Leadership, Global Cultures, and Social Enterprise master’s degree and graduate certificate programs. Online courses begin in the Fall 2023 Semester. Enrollment is open for the MSU Global Nonprofit Leadership, Global Cultures, and Social Enterprise master's degree and certificate program. The interdisciplinary programs,…

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Religious Studies Department Presents Its Annual Student Awards

The Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University held its 2023 Undergraduate Symposium on April 14 during which three undergraduate students — Emily “Em” Perkins, Rana Omar, and DuJour Johnson — were recognized with awards for their outstanding achievements. From left to right: Em Perkins, Rana Omar, and DuJour Johnson “Each year, the MSU Religious Studies Undergraduate Symposium brings…

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Department of Religious Studies Awarded Inaugural 1855 Professorships

Michigan State University’s Department of Religious Studies will expand its curriculum to include a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures thanks to the creation of two new faculty positions conceived by the Department’s winning proposal for an inaugural 1855 Professorship. Named for the year MSU was founded, the 1855 Professorships, created by the Office…

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Collaborating with Smithsonian Institution on Sounds of Religion Exhibition

The Sounds of Religion poster exhibition, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution, Michigan State University, and The Ohio State University, is now available to educators around the globe to download or print for free and is on full display in its worldwide premiere until June 30, 2023, at the MSU Museum. This new Smithsonian poster exhibition explores how rituals and…

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Eight-Year Study on the Sound of Religion Culminates in Interactive Auditory Exhibit

Religion and sound are tied together in evocative ways. Church bells. Public proselytizing. Calls to prayer. Tantric chanting. What does religion sound like, and how can we learn new truths about the diversity of religion in the United States when we listen? Amy DeRogatis, Professor of Religion and American Culture and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State…

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Conversations with CAL – Sounds of Religion Project

What does religion in the United States sound like? We begin by exploring the question that animates the American Religious Sounds Project (ARSP), a collaborative research initiative co-directed by Michigan State University Religious Studies Professor Amy DeRogatis and Ohio State University Comparative Studies Professor Isaac Weiner.

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How Religions Around the World Are Keeping the Faith During COVID-19

COVID-19 has rocked everyday life for people around the world, requiring religious communities to shift worship at a time that many consider the most holiest of the year. Daily and weekly services at churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have transitioned to take place in the home with family members as many places of prayer are closed for the first time…

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